Wednesday, May 9, 2018

last year i got some stinging nettles plants from the nettle man at the farmer's market. i think i may have used a leaf or two in our meals, but i primarily left it to grow with hopes that it would spread. happily, the nettles are loving their creekside home and this year there is enough to gather and tincture. perhaps next year will bring more for meals and to dry for teas too.

additionally, the area is rife with cleavers - and chickweed. i still have quite a bit of chickweed tincture, so i only gathered the cleavers this time. i did harvest some chickweed and cleavers for juicing too. the plain cleavers juice was so so strong. i put a little in ice cube trays for potential future use, and then mixed the rest with some juiced apple and lemon. it tasted like drinking spring itself.

wasn't sure this one would make it. our lemon balm was so happy in our old home that i still have an abundance of dried and tinctured goodness to last a while. but when this showed up growing in the driveway crack, i transplanted it to the creek area as well. it didn't look like it made it in those last hot days of summer, but it's a survivor! it would be lovely if it decided to spread and stay too.

last year i got some stinging nettles plants from the nettle man at the farmer's market. i think i may have used a leaf or two in our meals, but i primarily left it to grow with hopes that it would spread. happily, the nettles are loving their creekside home and this year there is enough to gather and tincture. perhaps next year will bring more for meals and to dry for teas too.

additionally, the area is rife with cleavers - and chickweed. i still have quite a bit of chickweed tincture, so i only gathered the cleavers this time. i did harvest some chickweed and cleavers for juicing too. the plain cleavers juice was so so strong. i put a little in ice cube trays for potential future use, and then mixed the rest with some juiced apple and lemon. it tasted like drinking spring itself.

wasn't sure this one would make it. our lemon balm was so happy in our old home that i still have an abundance of dried and tinctured goodness to last a while. but when this showed up growing in the driveway crack, i transplanted it to the creek area as well. it didn't look like it made it in those last hot days of summer, but it's a survivor! it would be lovely if it decided to spread and stay too.